Maurice Atwood
Head Coach
Career Record: 340-31 (245-11 at Parkland)
Maurice Atwood was named
as the 8th Head Coach in Parkland wrestling history in May of 2004.
He was faced with the challenge of taking over a program with no returning
state qualifiers, and only 13 returning participants. Three years later, the
Mustangs won their first State Dual Championship since 1996 and the programs
first outright State Tournament Championship.
His first year at
Parkland saw the team finish with a 28-8 record, and six state qualifiers. The
28 dual wins surpassed the previous mark for most in school history.
The 2005-06 season, Coach
Atwood's second at Parkland, saw the team post a 42-3 record which included a
win over the eventual 3A State Dual Champion Morehead Panthers before losing to
Ragsdale in the 2nd round of the State Dual playoffs. The season
also saw Bryan Young, a second year wrestler, win the 3A 275 Lbs. State
Championship. Young was one of five state qualifiers for Parkland, four of
which placed giving Parkland their first top 5 finish in the State Tournament
since 1998.
Coach Atwood's third
season, 2006-07, saw Parkland regain status as one of North Carolina’s elite
programs. The team went 46-0 en route to winning the 3A State Dual
Championship, as well as winning the 3A State Tournament Championship on the
strength of seven out of eight state qualifiers placing. The program also broke
the National Records for Points Scored in a Season and Pins in a Season.
Parklands 2007-08 season
was one that will go down in North Carolina history. The team again went
undefeated, posting a 44-0 record, en route to winning their second consecutive
3A State Dual & State Tournament Championships. The story though is the
manner in which they did it. The Mustangs broke ten state records and tied two
others. As well as re-breaking their own National Records for Points Scored in
a Season and Pins in a Season, this time also breaking the National Record for
Average Margin of Victory in Dual Meets. The team sent a State Record 13
wrestlers to the State Tournament, all 13 of which placed including five who
won individual State Championships.
The 2008-09 season began
with the rumor of Parkland’s demise since their record-breaking season the year
before had been accomplished with 11 seniors in the line-up. However, those
rumors soon proved false as Parkland become the first program in North Carolina
to win both the State Dual Championship and the State Tournament Championship
three straight years. Along the way they posted a 43-0 dual record, took nine
wrestlers to the State Tournament, seven of which placed, five of which made it
to the Championship Finals, and three of which won State Championships.
Parkland headed into the
2009-10 season prepared to make the jump to 4A with a 133 dual win-streak,
which by early December became the longest streak in state history surpassing
the previous record of 140 set by Boone Appalachian in the 1960's. The program
would continue to run up dual victories, finishing the dual portion of the season
with a 38-14 victory over defending 4A State Champion Cary to claim the 4A
State Dual Championship and run the win-streak to 175, which is the fourth
longest documented streak in National history. The team then made history yet
again by qualifying all fourteen wrestlers for states, ten of which would place
at states to include three who would claim first, en route to Parkland winning
the 4A State Tournament Championship.
Coach Atwood and the
Parkland program head into the 2010-11 season with a 175 match dual win-streak.
Prior to becoming Head
Coach at Parkland, Coach Atwood spent one year as Head Coach at Forsyth Country
Day filling in for Pat Rimron, a friend of Coach Atwood’s who had been called
to active duty in the War on Terror, as well as spending three seasons as
Co-Head Coach with Jason Hooker at Mount Tabor, where their 2000-01 team won
the 4A State Tournament and State Dual Championships.
Coach Atwood started off
his coaching career as an Assistant Coach under Steve Hayes at Mount Tabor
where he spent five seasons before taking a two year hiatus. Coach Atwood
returned to the sport as an Assistant Coach at R.J. Reynolds where he stayed
for four seasons.
As a competitor, Coach Atwood
wrestled for R.J. Reynolds High School, Wilkes Community College, and Carson
Newman.
Head Coaching Record
|
Year |
Program |
Record |
Accomplishments |
|
2000-01 |
Mount Tabor |
28-0 |
4A State Dual &
Tournament Champions |
|
2001-02 |
Mount Tabor |
21-3 |
4A State Tournament
Runners-Up |
|
2002-03 |
Forsyth Country Day |
29-4 |
Third Place at NCISAA
State Tournament |
|
2003-04 |
Mount Tabor |
17-13 |
Qualified for State
Dual Playoffs |
|
2004-05 |
Parkland |
28-8 |
Qualified for State
Dual Playoffs |
|
2005-06 |
Parkland |
42-3 |
Conference Champions,
Regional Runners-Up |
|
2006-07 |
Parkland |
46-0 |
3A State Dual &
Tournament Champions |
|
2007-08 |
Parkland |
44-0 |
3A State Dual &
Tournament Champions |
|
2008-09 |
Parkland |
43-0 |
3A State Dual & Tournament
Champions |
|
2009-10 |
Parkland |
42-0 |
4A State Dual
& Tournament Champions |
Asst. Coaching Career
|
Year |
Program |
Record |
|
1989-90 |
Mount Tabor |
12-4-1 |
|
1990-91 |
Mount Tabor |
19-2-1 |
|
1991-92 |
Mount Tabor |
14-5 |
|
1992-93 |
Mount Tabor |
21-1-1 |
|
1993-94 |
Mount Tabor |
13-4 |
|
1994-95 |
Did Not Coach |
N/A |
|
1995-96 |
Did Not Coach |
N/A |
|
1996-97 |
R.J. Reynolds |
5-13 |
|
1997-98 |
R.J. Reynolds |
14-13 |
|
1998-99 |
R.J. Reynolds |
20-4 |
|
1999-2000 |
R.J. Reynolds |
29-6 |